Communication device with mode change softkeys

ABSTRACT

A communication device ( 100 ) operates in first and second modes of operation including a dispatch mode of operation and a telephone mode of operation. The device ( 100 ) includes a main body ( 124 ) having a top surface ( 126 ) and a cover ( 102 ). The cover  102  selectively moves between at least a first position wherein at least a portion of the top surface ( 126 ) is covered to provide for selective operation in the dispatch mode and at least a second position wherein the top surface ( 126 ) is exposed to provide for selective operation is the telephone mode of operation. The cover ( 102 ) includes a see through section ( 108 ) covering at least a portion of the display section ( 114 ) when the cover ( 102 ) is in the first position in order to protect the display section ( 114 ) and simultaneously provide access thereto. The cover ( 102 ) also includes through access keys ( 106 ) which provide access to the keypad ( 116 ) even when the cover ( 102 ) is closed. The display section ( 114 ) includes soft key designation areas ( 502 ) and ( 504 ) whose textual contents change depending on the position of the cover ( 102).

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention is in general related to communication devices and moreparticularly to handheld communication devices.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Hand held communication devices appear in a variety of shapes and formfactors. Next to pleasant appearance, user ergonomics are among the mostimportant external factors designers consider in designing suchproducts. One aesthetically pleasing form factor uses an extendiblesection, such as a flip or a clam shell cover. One of the objectives metby these extendible sections is protection of the user interfaces, suchas the keypad and the display. Another is the extension of thecommunication device in the operating mode to provide sufficient lengthto cover the distance between the ear and mouth of the user. Theseextendible sections have also been used to respond to an incoming call.In such applications, an incoming call may be answered simply by openingthe cover. As such the user does not need to press an answer button toreceive a call. A problem with these covers is that operation of theproduct is greatly hampered when the cover is in the closed mode asneither the keypad nor the display are accessible. Some devices haveattempted to partially address this problem by limiting the extendiblesection to cover only the keypad, hence leaving the display exposed.This approach fails to provide protection to the display which isgreatly desired nor would such an approach provide access to the keypadwhen the cover is closed. Accordingly, a need exists for a device thatovercomes the deficiencies of the prior art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a communication device in a first mode in accordance withthe present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a side view of the communication device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows a communication device in a second mode in accordance withthe present invention.

FIG. 4 shows a block diagram of the communication device in accordancewith the present invention.

FIG. 5 shows a first configuration of the display terminal of thecommunication device in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 6 shows a second configuration of the display terminal of thecommunication device in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In order to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art in effectivelyutilizing communication devices having a cover, the present inventionprovides for a see-through cover that provides access to the display ofthe communication device even when the cover is closed. In addition,through access keys are provided to accommodate access to the keypadwhen the cover is closed. Along with the access keys, the displayincludes soft key designation areas whose textual contents changedepending on the position of the cover. As such, the communicationdevice may be used regardless of the position of the cover. This isparticularly useful with dual mode communication devices where thefunctionality of the device may be optimized by the position of thecover.

FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 show an electronic device, such as a communicationdevice 100 in the open and closed positions, respectively. FIG. 1 showsthe communication device 100 in the closed mode and including a moveablehousing element 102 on which push buttons 106 are located. Keys 106 areshown preferably directly underneath the display to provide for soft keyfeatures. The cover 102 covers at least a portion of the top surface ofthe device 100. Included in the coverage zone of the cover 102 is thedisplay 114 and the keypad 118. The operation of the keypad 118 in thisembodiment is similar to the keys of a regular telephone or othercommunication devices as it known in the art. A speaker 120 presents thereceived audio to the user while a microphone 122 inputs the audio fortransmission. A Push-To-Talk (PTT) button 206 is located preferably onthe side of the radio 100 and provides for the initiation ofcommunication in the dispatch mode. Additional buttons 202 and 204provide such functions as volume control or frequency selection, amongother things. In alternative embodiments, the PTT switch may be locatedon the top surface, similar to the TalkAbout™ family of products beingoffered by Motorola Inc., Schaumburg, Ill.

Although switches 204 and 206 have been shown here to control the volumelevel, an alternative embodiment may use them as providing a functionsimilar to the soft keys 116. In such an embodiment, these keys 202 and204 may be used to provide the user with various functions as guidedthrough the display terminal 114. e.g. the function of the keys maychange from volume control in one mode to ID number locator in anotherto message scrolling in a third mode. These keys may be placed beneaththe display 114 so that their function as soft keys may be enhanced. Insuch a place, keys 202 and 204 may be used more definitively as softkeys in the Y (vertical) dimension as are keys 116 in the X (horizontal)dimension. This alternative embodiment may provide additionalflexibility to the communication device 100 in either mode and hasparticular benefit in the closed cover mode.

The user wishing to place a dispatch call may enter the private IDnumber of the second party and proceed to talk while the PTT button ispressed. For this, however, the cover must be opened for access to thekeypad. The present invention eliminates the need to open the cover byproviding pass through keys 106 and the see through window 108. Thesekeys are available on the cover and may be used to scroll through a listof private IDs. A desired private ID may be searched and chosen from thememory and displayed on the display 114, seen through the see througharea 108. Once located, the user proceeds to communicate by pressing thePTT switch 206. As such, the need to open the cover 102 is eliminated.

In the preferred embodiment, the two buttons 106 are used as soft keys.A soft key is referred to a key whose function changes depending on theapplication being run. The functions associated with the keys 106 arethose meaningful and appropriate for dispatch operation, such asscrolling through the memory to locate the private ID number of aparticular addressee. Alternatively, these keys may be used to accessother features, such as changing the mode of operation or the operatingzone of the device 100. To accommodate these soft keys 106, the display114 includes soft key designation areas 502 and 504 (FIG. 5). Theseareas are updated with text representing new modes or functions asdetermined by the operating mode of the device 100. As the mode of thedevice 100 is changed, with the cover 102 open or closed, the functionof these soft keys 106 change as well. This represents a significantbenefit as extended functionality may not be denied when the cover 102is closed.

In an alternative embodiment, the device 100 may include a voicerecognition circuitry to be used in locating a particular addressee ineither modes of operation. With such a circuit, the user may enter theID number of a particular addressee simply by requesting it via voice.The recognition circuitry proceeds to recover the voice and locate theID number associated with the name.

The communication device 100 as presented in this preferred embodiment,is capable of providing multiple modes of operation. Namely, the device100 may operate in telephone or dispatch mode of operation.Alternatively, messaging or data modes may be accommodated. In themessaging mode, the device 100 may be used to receive pages as any otherpager available as a stand alone product. In the data mode of operation,the device 100 may be used as a portable data machine. In addition, thedevice 100 may be used as a telephone. Utilizing the keys 106, anincoming call may be answered without opening up the cover. In otherwords, the user may choose to answer an incoming call by either openingthe cover 102 or simply pressing one of the keys 106. In either case thepresent invention offers a unique advantage over the prior art. Thisadvantage is provided via the see through section 108. The caller IDfeature of the device 100 displays the number of an incoming call on thedisplay 114. Seen through the clear area 108, the user may decidewhether to answer the incoming call or not. This is not possible in thecommunication devices of the prior art which are equipped with atraditional cover. These devices all answer an incoming call as soon asthe cover is opened. As such, the identity of an incoming call is notknown to the user before the call is answered. Conveniently, and inaccordance with the present invention, partial access to the device 100is available even when the cover 102 is closed.

In summary, the device 100 provides enhanced functionality by providingaccess to the display and keypad, even when the cover 102 is closed. Thesee through section 108 may cover all or a portion of the display 114.As such, displayed information may be viewed with the cover 102 open orclosed. Keys 106 provide access to the keypad 118 when the cover isclosed. With such access to the keypad and the display, the user can usethe device 100 in any mode with the cover open or closed, henceimproving product usability.

Referring to FIG. 3, the communication device 100 is shown with thecover 102 open. The communication device 100 includes a body housingelement 124 which accommodates the components to provide telephone anddispatch functionality thereto. The housing element 124 includes a topsurface 126, the display 114, and the keypad 118. The movable housingelement 102 is coupled to the housing element 124 via a hinge 112. Themoveable housing element 102 selectively moves between at least a firstposition wherein at least a portion of the top surface 126 is covered toprovide for selective operation in the dispatch mode and at least asecond position wherein the top surface 126 is exposed to provide forselective operation is the telephone mode of operation. The moveablehousing element 102 includes the see through section 108 covering atleast a portion of the display section 114 when the movable housingelement 102 is in the first position in order to protect the displaysection 114 and simultaneously provide access thereto. In place of thehinge 112 embodiments, other similar mechanisms, such as a railing or asliding cover may be used to couple the moveable housing element 102 tothe housing element 124. An antenna 110 is used for the efficienttransmission and reception of radio frequency signals.

In the open mode, the entire keypad 118 is available to the user. Assuch, the user may place a dispatch call by entering the entire privateID number of an addressee and proceed to communicate using the PTTbutton 206. Alternatively, the user may place a telephone call byentering the number in the telephone mode and proceed to communicate. Ascan be seen more clearly from FIGS. 2 and 3 and in accordance with thepreferred embodiment, the keys 106 pass through from the front surfaceto the back surface of the cover 102. As such, keys 106, when pressed,couple with keys 116 which are located directly below them. Thiscoupling communicates a push applied to keys 106 from the front surfaceof the cover area to the keys 116 on the top surface 126. By providingthe pass through keys 106, the same number of keys may be used toprovide the device 100 with functionality with the cover 102 open orclosed. In other words, there is no need to duplicate keys in order toaccommodate the various modes in which the device 100 may be used.

In summary, the device 100 operates in at least two modes of operation.In a first mode of operation and with the cover open, it is able toplace and receive phone calls just as any other wireless telephone. In asecond mode of operation and with the cover closed, it can be utilizedas a walkie talkie utilizing dispatch operation. A push-to-talk (PTT)bottom is used to facilitate the dispatch mode. A cover 102 is used toselectively cover at least a portion of the top surface 126 when thecover is closed. The cover 102 includes a see-through window 108 whichcovers the display area 114 in the closed mode in order to protect thedisplay terminal 114 and while at the same time providing accessthereto. In this mode of operation, the user can view the names ornumbers of parties he is wishing to contact without having to open thecover which is otherwise required in the communication devices of theprior art. In a third mode, a user may retrieve data messages with thecover 102 closed simply by navigating through the application programusing soft keys 106.

Referring to FIG. 4, the block diagram of the communication device 100in accordance with the present invention is shown. Antenna 402 iscoupled to transceiver circuits 404 where radio frequency signalsreceived thereby are demodulated to baseband. Audio components of thedemodulated signals are coupled to audio circuits 406 and then toenunciator/earpiece 408. The enunciator may be used to alert the user ofa received call independent of the position of the cover 102.Alternatively, a speaker may be used in place of or in addition to theenunciator 408. The data components of the demodulated signals arecoupled to a display 410. A keypad 412 provides key entries to acontroller 414. These key entries are then coupled to the transceivercircuits for modulation at the proper frequency before they aretransmitted via antenna 402. In addition to the enunciator 408, avibrator 416 may be utilized to indicate to the user the presence of anincoming call. A microphone 418 is used for the coupling of audio to thetransceiver circuits 404.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, the display 114 is shown with the cover 102closed and open, respectively. In the closed mode of the preferredembodiment, the soft key designation area 502 provides a list 506 wherethe user may scroll for possible names. The soft key designation area504 is used to provide switching between the modes of operation, 508.The definition of the soft keys 106 may change as the mode of operationof the device 100 changes. In other words, the text 506 and/or 508 maychange when the operating mode transitions from telephone mode todispatch and so on.

When the cover 102 is open, the display soft key definitions change tobetter represent the best use of the device 100. As seen in FIG. 6, thetext of the designation areas 502 and 504 changes to “Name” 602 and“Mail” 604, respectively. As such, the device 100 can accommodatefeatures that are commensurate with an open cover. As can be seen, withchanges to the definition of the soft keys 106 a user is no longerrequired to sacrifice the full functionality of the device 100 justbecause the cover 102 is closed. Now, the device 100 senses the positionof the cover and acts to reflect that change in the text of the soft keydesignation areas 502 and 504. With the operation of the soft keys 106being dynamic relative to the position of the cover, the productperformance does not have to be sacrificed to create a balance betweenthe closed and open modes. This change in the soft key function relativeto the position of the cover 102 is in addition to the changesimplemented as the operating mode of the device 100 changes. In thepreferred embodiment, the sensor to detect the mode of the cover 102utilizes a magnet along with a detector. Once the magnet is in the closeproximity of the detector, a mode change signal is communicated by thedetector to the controller 414 initiating the change to the text of thesoft keys.

The present invention provides two significant benefits to the users ofa two-way communication device. The first benefit is that the display114 is viewable through a see-through window 108. This accessibilityrenders the device 100 more versatile in that multiple modes ofoperation along with multiple housing configuration can be accommodatedwithout departing from the aesthetics associated and preferred with eachmode of operation. With the cover 102 closed, the device 100 may be usedwith limited access to the keypad 118 through the soft keys 106. Thisclosed mode is particularly beneficial in dispatch or data modes. Indispatch, the press of the push-to-talk button 206 initiates atransmission. In this mode, the user may desire to locate the private IDnumber of a particular unit. To do this, the user presses the activators106 thereby activating keys 116. In the data mode of operation, keys 106may be used to retrieve data since the display is accessible via thesee-through window 108. As such, the functions of keys 116 do not haveto be duplicated to accommodate the multiple modes the unit 100provides.

In the open mode of operation, conversely, the device 100 canaccommodate phone communications as provided by similar devices in theprior art. As can be seen, the versatility of the device 100 has beenexpanded by providing full functionality in one mode of operation,namely open cover; and limited operation, namely closed cover. Althoughthe closed cover mode has been discussed in a dispatch environment, onecan see that limited functionalities over the device 100 in theinterconnect mode may be accomplished by the cover in the closed mode.In such circumstances, the access keys 106 may be used to locate atelephone number for a desired party and utilizing a speaker phone modeof operation a call can be traced to that party without having to openthe cover 102.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electronic device having first and secondmodes of operation, comprising: a body housing element for accommodatingelectronic components including a display and a keypad, the housinghaving a top surface on which the display and the keypad are located; amovable housing element for covering at least a portion of the topsurface of the housing when in a closed mode and providing access to thedisplay and the keypad when in an open mode, the cover including: a seethrough section located substantially over the display in order toprovide access thereto when the cover is in the closed mode; and atleast one activator to access the keypad in the closed mode; wherein thedisplay having at least one soft key designation visible through thesee-through section, which designation changes from a first designationto a second designation depending on the mode of the cover; the keypadincluding a soft key associated with said at least one soft keydesignation; and wherein said at least one activator is utilized foractivating said soft key.
 2. The electronic device of claim 1, whereinthe first mode includes a telephone mode of operation.
 3. The electronicdevice of claim 1, wherein the first mode includes a messaging mode ofoperation.
 4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first modeincludes a dispatch mode of operation.
 5. The communication device ofclaim 1, wherein the movable housing element is coupled to the housingelement via a hinge.
 6. The communication device of claim 1, furtherincluding an enunciator to indicate a received call independent of theposition of the movable housing element.
 7. The communication device ofclaim 6, wherein the enunciator includes a vibrator.
 8. Thecommunication device of claim 1, wherein the movable housing elementprovides for the switching of one mode of operation to another.